Beer: Ratings & Reviews

Reviews by Fux:

I still never had reviewed this beer, this has to be corrected, and this will be done from a 2005 vintage (7 years old). The review would have been quite similar for other vintages, but aging on this beer definitely sublimates it.

A: Looks hazy, color is between amber and dark copper. The head is small with quite a low retention.

S: The smell is awesome, deep, rich, strong, with loads of fruits, spices, lactiness. I get some apples, pears, citruses, orange peels, raisins, cherries, grapes, figs. Very spicy and yeasty also, a bit sour and woody. Finishes sweet with some chocolate malts.

T: The taste is sweeter than the nose with brown sugars, molasses, toffee and caramel malts. Lots of fruits also : soaked fruits, dark fruits, prune, plum, soaked cherries. The balance between strong sweet malts and fruits make it taste like a Christmas fruit cake. Alcohol is present also with faint Port notes from the oxidation (barely noticeable and perfectly well integrated). Bitter chocolate aftertaste.

M: Thick and solid mouthfeel, unexpected from the style. A bit warming but perfectly refreshing due to a dry finish.

O: This beer is just awesome and I'm not sure there is one better on Earth, at least it's the best barleywine ever. This is the richest, tastiest beer I've ever drunk, it seems even better each time I drink one, and aging works wonders with this brew (I just can't imagine drinking something better than the one from 1987 I had a few weeks ago...)

More User Reviews:

Poured a hazy golden with a deep orange hue with a thinner than expected head that left no lace behind,nice aromas of tart green apple and spicey,clovey yeast and Belgian candied suger.Big and in your face flavors very fruity orange zest and that green apple elemant with a spicey somewhat alcoholic finish.Glad it is only 11.6 ozes here quite heavy but packed with rich flavors,a sipper for sure.

Taste  Oh, this is nice. The fruits are out here in force. The malt backbone is present, but the fruits steal the show. Youve got all the tastes from the nose then a big banana-cherry-melon fruit juice that tastes like concentrate. I mean, this stuff is strong!

Youve also got some nice spicing to this one as well. Coriander makes the rounds here as well as cinnamon and a dash of salt.

Mouthfeel  Lightly carbonated for the style. This is not a mouthful with each sip as one would think. Nice.

Drinkability  This is almost like an aperitif wine. It is very fruity, smooth, clean, sweet, and inviting.

This brew, whose name means "Silent Night" is a Christmas beer which is rated at 12% ABV and the De Dolle website claims that it is "the highest density" of any Belgian Beer. Brewed with a seemingly unreasonable amount of malt and Belgian candy sugar, this brew is extremely strong, while remaining pretty drinkable, all things considered. There is such an enormous complexity to this beer that you should really try to take an hour or so to drink it, as it warms up, it changes so many times that you (almost) don't realize how hot it's getting you. There is fruit, booze, and all kinds of other sweet and tart flavors, with only the slightest hint of bitterness. Sure, my American mouth wants MORE HOPS but really, does it belong in a beer like this? This is one of those bottles that distracts me so much from everything around me that I have to restrain myself from buying it too often. Life is Beautiful, indeed.

bottle 2005 poured into a Duvel goblet. gunsmoke and aroma escape as soon as the cap is popped.

A: body is a beautiful hazy honey with shades of a darker orange. head is almost non existant though. this beer throws a ton of sediment so a very careful pour is essential so little head generated there, and agitation really doesnt bring much to speak of back.

S: the nose is like an open air fruit market. apricots, pinneapples, oranges, some tropical notes. a bit of rum in the candied sugar, rich malt bill. theres even some hints of sensous herbs like lavender.

T/M: medium viscosity carries tons of flavor and complexity. body is honeyed in both flavor and feel but not overly heavy. much of the fruit in the nose comes through, tropical, apples, some bannana. a yeast quality arrises not as noticed in the nose. plenty of sugar that is balanced by the light yeast spice on the finish. alcohol is felt but not tasted. leaves the mouth coated and lightly sweetened like a piece of hard candy.

D: awesome. i wish this was year round and i could get it more easily. as it is ill be very sad when the last bottle sells of my shelf which will be very very soon. great great beer from a great great brewery. rock.

A-Strange cloudy, orange with a decent 2 inch head which faded fairly quickly. Looked a little like muddy waterS-Very fruit forward on the nose-tart green apple, some grainy alcohol, spicy yeastT-Tart green apple and other fruits at first, malt comes forward and provides almost caramel flavor that is reminiscent of a barleywine. Reminded him of a candy apple. Alcohol burn very noticable and takes the score down.M-Medium full but not alot of carbonationD-I may lay this down for a while as the alcohol burn was a little much to enjoy the flavors. Really didn't seem like a Belgian Dark.

Pours a hazy burnt-orange in color with abundant dense white foam head. Great head retention and solid lacing all the way down the glass. This is listed as a strong dark Belgian so I was surprised to see that it isn't all that dark in color.

Aromas are malty, sweet, with lots of dark fruit present. Very complex.

Flavors of caramel are up front with that Belgian yeasty taste. Lots of complex dark fruit combines well with a heavy mouth feel and tight abundant carbonation. The finish is long and sweet with lots of warmth from the relatively high alcohol. Overall a very nice experience.

Hazy amber orange pour with a good deal of suspended yeast, mainly since I did not pour very carefully. A half inch of white foam sits atop the brew as well. Aromas a melange of fruit flavors mixed with an earthy yeast tones and some warming spices as well. A hint of vanilla along with toffee, fresh caramels and floral honey. Complex.

First sip brings dense sweet malty goodness overflowing with fruit and spice flavors. Toffee and caramel intertwine along with lots of yeast phenols and some vanilla and honey as well. Slight floral note and earthy accents. Really tons going on here and it all combines together in one really tasty brew!

Mouthfeel is dense and rich with creamy carbonation. It maintains its drinkability without being overly heavy. A tasty winter brew that is worthy of a good celebration :) Well worth seeking out - love me some De Dolle.

A 33cl bottle with bottled on 12/2006 stamped on the cap. Served in a tulip glass it was an orange color with a huge, thick, whipped cream head that slowly settled, leaving some great lacing. It had a sweet orange aroma, with a bit of spice. The taste was similar to the aroma, with that Belgian yeastiness apparent. This was a big, fulfilling beer. The alcohol was very well hidden, but I think one of these at a time would do quite nicely.

Presentation: 12oz European style brown bottle. Batch info and best before date on the side. The label has this freaky-ass king snowman, wearing a crown, holding a star staff and a goblet of ale as he stairs with big googly eyes at a half-moon. The scarf around his neck says "met de beste wensen."

Appearance: A hazy dark peach/amber coloured brew with large and small carbonation bubbles. The head is a patchy, slightly off-white cream lace that sticks to the glass. A gentle rousing will bring the lace back at anytime.

Taste: Massive fruity flavours from the start, I'm thinking peach or apricot. Body is full, even and very rich. Mouthfeel is smooth with a butter-like coating (diacetyl), goes creamy on the tongue from the fine carbonation. There's a base malt flavour that is syrupy sweet with touches of background caramel, honey and toasted malts. Hop flavours are more or less non-existent (which they should be) and can only be detected by their lending a slight herbal quality to the brew. The butter-like flavour returns towards the end and slicks up the palate once again. Residual yeast flavours from the sediment in the bottle also linger with a very light yeast/bread flavour. Finishes a bit dry.

Notes: Well kick my ass! This has to be just about one of the best Belgian beers out there! So incredibly complex that I need to go and be by myself for a little while.

11.6 oz bottle, purchased 11/23/05 and kept refrigerated. Pours a hazy golden amber with lots of yeast floaties especially at the bottom of the bottle. The head is small, off-white, and fizzy. It quickly diminishes to a thin collar that leaves a little lacing.

The aroma is musty yeast, sharp cidery apples, oak and alcohol.

The flavor is sweet and sugary malts with fruits and alcohol and a decent bitter finish that helps balance things out. The mouthfeel is full and velvety.

Overall, a fine Belgian. Normally I don't care for sugary sweetness and alcohol, but it is well blended and balanced here.

Very big frothy bubbles that gave away almost immediately to a flat surface with no head , only a scant white ring and dime sized dollop of tiny white bubbles in the center. Dark, homemade iced tea scent. Light amber in color.
Man, absolutely filthy looking. Maybe because I am drinking this in August and this was a single bottle only that was sitting by it's lonesome at the DraftingRoom in the beercase? Possibly found somewhere and thrown upstairs to get rid of it because I go there alot and never saw this funky little label back behind the glass before we grabbed it. Wow is there a crapload of pepper-like chunks that fell into the bottom of the tulip, and some that just refuse to settle down. Almost disturbing looking, even though I know it is most likely nothing bad... lol!
The main scent reminds me of some shampoo I used alll throughout highschool but for the life of me I can't remember the name of. Very girly and very fresh scented- very springy.... still can't place it. Oranges and spices, vineous... Insanely high carbination, champagnelike. Bit too much carb for me, too much foaming up in the mouth. Thankfully the chunks that are shooting around in there are not something you can feel, just see! I really am surprised that this tastes as good as it does, after it's appearance. This is almost like a barleywine. Very good flavors that balance so well. Merlot, dark fruits, cherries, cherry brandy, soy sauce, biteyness. You taste tons of alcohol in it, almost burns your tongue. Nice. The carbination makes it almost creamy, yet keeps it bitey. Enjoyed the flavors alot but with the amount of carbination and intensity of flavor it may have a bit too much going on to be more than a sipper -I could not see myself having more than one bottle per night of this.

What a cool name. The nose is full of sugar and spice and everything nice. It pours a murky orange with a foamy white cap. Leaves some nice lacing. Very sweet with loads of sugar. Fruit cake. Very full bodied for a Belgian. Alcohol abounds. Whatch out for this one.

Pours a hazy, rust color..no head.
Immense aromas are impressive with sweetness. Bubblegum, bananas, peaches, nutmeg, and vanilla.
Mouthfeel is clean, with low carbonation.
Taste is fruity sweet all the way through, but never becomes cloying. Overripe apricots, cotton candy, and peach nectar dominate the flavor profile. Floral lilac hops create an interesting background. Alcohol warming adds an additional note.
I like this one quite a bit, though many will find the sweetness cloying. I enjoyed the sweet, malty finish, and would happily have another.

Pours a slightly murky brownish-yellow with a one finger white head, which stays around until the glass was empty. The aroma is Belgian yeast with bready malts and some unidentifiable fruit. The flavor is alcohol and strawberries. You also get some yeast, caramel malt and some sugary sweetness. The alcohol is very warming. I also got some slight banana notes as the beer warmed but they were faint. The beer gets fruitier as it warms. Medium carbonation and mouthfeel.